Structured group and individual therapy several days a week, while you live at home.
How we work
Dialectical behavior therapy
in Houston
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is for the times feelings run too strong to think straight. Instead of only talking about your emotions, you learn real skills to steady yourself, hold two truths at once, accepting where you are while working to change what is not working. At The Lovett Center, our therapists use DBT to help you feel more in control of your own reactions.
Outpatient care in Montrose, Houston. Most major insurance accepted.
The approach
A skills-based therapy for
intense emotions.
DBT grew out of cognitive behavioral therapy, but it was designed for people whose emotions run strong and fast. Its name points to the balance at its core: accepting yourself as you are, and working to change what is not working.
That balance, holding acceptance and change together, is what the word dialectical means. Rather than choosing between making peace with your feelings and trying to change your patterns, DBT asks you to do both, and gives you the tools to make it work.
Most of those tools live in four skill areas: mindfulness, so you can notice what you feel without being swept away; distress tolerance, so you can get through a crisis without making it worse; emotion regulation, so strong feelings have less power over you; and interpersonal effectiveness, so your relationships steady rather than drain you. You learn them, then practice them until they hold.
Where it helps
What we use DBT
for at Lovett.
DBT is most useful when emotions feel overwhelming. These are the conditions we most often treat with it, on its own or alongside other approaches. It also helps with anxiety and the relationship strain that often comes with all of them.
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Intense emotions and mood swings
DBT was built for people whose feelings run strong and fast. It teaches you to ride the wave of an emotion without letting it run the day.
Mood disorder care -
Depression
When low mood pulls you toward isolation and old habits, DBT skills help you stay engaged and build small, steadying routines.
Depression treatment -
Trauma and PTSD
For trauma that leaves emotions raw and easily triggered, DBT builds the grounding and distress-tolerance skills that make deeper trauma work possible.
Trauma and PTSD care -
Substance use and co-occurring conditions
DBT helps you tolerate cravings and hard feelings without turning to substances, which is why it is a natural fit in recovery.
Dual diagnosis care
Is it right for you
When DBT is the
right fit.
DBT helps with some goals and some moments more than others. Here is an honest read on when it tends to work well, and when we might start somewhere else.
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A good fit when emotions feel too big to manage
If your feelings often swing hard or fast, DBT gives you concrete ways to steady yourself in the moment instead of being swept along.
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A good fit when you want skills you can use in the moment
DBT is hands-on. You learn specific skills for mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and relationships, then practice them in real life.
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A good fit when relationships keep feeling like a struggle
If conflict, boundaries, or staying connected leave you exhausted, the interpersonal skills in DBT are some of its most practical tools.
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It may not be the starting point in acute crisis
If you are in immediate danger or severe distress, we focus first on safety and stabilizing care, then bring DBT skills in when the time is right.
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When you mainly want open-ended exploration
If you want to understand the deeper roots of long-standing patterns more than build skills, our psychodynamic approach may fit better, often working alongside DBT.
The evidence
A proven approach to
emotional intensity.
DBT was developed in the 1970s by psychologist Marsha Linehan to help people who experience emotions intensely, including those with urges to act in harmful ways. Cleveland Clinic describes it as a structured therapy that teaches four sets of skills, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, usually over a committed course of care of roughly six months to a year.
The evidence is especially strong where emotions are hardest to manage. The National Institute of Mental Health points to DBT as an established treatment for borderline personality disorder, and research supports it for related challenges with mood and self-control. Its skills carry over to depression, trauma, and everyday emotional storms.
DBT is just as relevant to recovery. Behavioral therapies are a cornerstone of addiction treatment, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that they help people recognize, avoid, and cope with the situations where they are most likely to use, exactly what DBT's distress-tolerance and emotion-regulation skills build. DBT also pairs naturally with other approaches we offer, including CBT and EMDR. If you are weighing the differences, we compare CBT, DBT, and EMDR here.
At The Lovett Center, DBT is delivered by our licensed clinical team, including DBT-trained clinicians such as Marina Rathjens, LCSW, C-DBT, who weave its skills into the individual and group work in our Houston programs.
Where it happens
Care that fits
your life.
DBT at The Lovett Center is outpatient, so you live at home and keep up with work, school, and family while you do the work. The right level of structure depends on what you need right now.
Our most intensive outpatient level: full days of structured treatment, with the freedom to go home each night.
Regular individual sessions at a steadier pace, including step-down care after a more intensive program.
Common questions
DBT,
answered.
The 24-hour rule is part of how comprehensive DBT programs handle phone coaching between sessions. If someone harms themselves, the rule asks them to wait 24 hours before reaching their therapist for skills coaching about that incident, so the coaching reinforces using skills rather than the crisis itself. The aim is to encourage reaching out before a hard moment, not only after one. The exact structure depends on the program.
DBT is a strong fit for people who feel emotions intensely and want practical skills, but it is not always the right starting point. It asks for active practice between sessions, so it works best when you are ready to engage with that. If you are in acute crisis, we focus first on safety and stabilizing care, then introduce DBT skills when you are ready. And if you mainly want open-ended insight work, a more exploratory approach may suit you better. We will help you figure out the right fit.
DBT is active and structured. In a comprehensive program it pairs individual therapy with a skills group, and between sessions you practice the skills in daily life, often tracking how it goes. That practice is where much of the progress happens, so the skills hold up in real moments, not just in the room. At The Lovett Center we weave DBT skills into individual and group work within our outpatient programs.
DBT is usually a committed course of care rather than a few sessions. Cleveland Clinic notes that people often commit to roughly six months to a year, though the exact length depends on your goals and what you are working through. Your therapist will set the pace with you and adjust as you go.
In many cases DBT is covered. The Lovett Center is in network with major insurers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Magellan, and TriWest, and we also work with out-of-network benefits and self-pay. Because coverage and any out-of-pocket cost vary by plan, the surest way to know is to verify your benefits with us.
Verify your insuranceYes. DBT is widely used in addiction recovery, where its distress-tolerance and emotion-regulation skills help you sit with cravings and hard feelings without turning to substances. When substance use and a mental health condition occur together, we treat both in one integrated plan rather than passing you between programs.
Dual diagnosis careStart the conversation
Ready to build skills
that steady you?
When you are ready, a real person at The Lovett Center will listen and help you find the next step, whether that is DBT, another approach, or simply a conversation about what is going on. No pressure, no commitment.
- A real person, not a call center
- Most major insurance accepted
- Confidential from the first call
Prefer to call?
(713) 589-5991Every conversation is confidential. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 any time to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.